Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood mogul whose sexual misconduct helped fuel the #MeToo movement, will face retrial in New York on rape charges on April 15, a judge announced Wednesday.
Weinstein, 72, was convicted in 2020 in New York of the third-degree rape of one woman and a first-degree criminal sex act against another woman and sentenced to 23 years in prison. That conviction was overturned last April after a state appellate court, in a 4-3 decision, determined that the trial judge had erred by allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
In September, a New York City grand jury indicted Weinstein on new charges.
Judge Curtis Farber said Wednesday that Weinstein’s retrial will include a new allegation involving a woman who wasn’t in the original case. The woman alleges he forced oral sex on her at a Manhattan hotel in 2006.
Weinstein is being held at the Rikers Island jail complex. He arrived in the Manhattan courtroom Wednesday in a wheelchair amid a litany of health issues. NBC News was first to report last year that he has chronic myeloid leukemia.
During the court hearing, Weinstein pushed for an earlier trial date, citing his health.
“I won’t be there for April,” he said. “I can’t wait for tomorrow. I can’t hold on anymore. I am holding on because I want justice … I want this to be over with.”
Farber said he has another trial scheduled but would do his best to accommodate a date a week earlier if all parties agree. The judge also denied Weinstein’s attorney’s motion to dismiss the new indictment against him.
A spokesperson for Weinstein said in a statement after the hearing that “Judge Farber demonstrated exceptional responsiveness, and we deeply appreciate his thoughtful consideration of Harvey’s condition and circumstances. We remain confident in a swift and efficient trial process and firmly believe that Harvey will be fully exonerated.”
In addition to the New York case, Weinstein was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault in 2022 in Los Angeles and sentenced to 16 years. Weinstein’s legal team is appealing that conviction.
In all, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment. He has repeatedly denied the claims, insisting the encounters in question were consensual.
The charges against Weinstein were first reported in 2017 by The New York Times and The New Yorker. The articles inspired a wider reckoning in the entertainment and other high-profile industries.
Daniel Arkin contributed.
